This report summarizes information about Internet access connections over 200 kilobits per second (kbps) in at least one direction in service in the United States on December 31, 2011, as collected by FCC Form 477. Form 477 gathers standardized information about subscribership to Internet access services in the fifty states, District of Columbia, and inhabited insular areas (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands). The information is reported by telephone companies, cable system operators, terrestrial wireless service providers, satellite service providers, and other facilities-based providers of advanced telecommunications capability.1 This is the seventh report to include details about subscribership differences among census tracts and counties, as well as subscribership differences among the states.2

Notable developments between December 2010 and December 2011 include:

 Internet connections overall are growing. The number of connections over 200 kbps in at least
one direction increased by 27% year-over-year to 230 million.

 Growth is particularly high in mobile Internet subscriptions, but fixed-location connections also
continue to increase. The number of mobile subscriptions grew to 142 million – up 46% from December 2010. The number of fixed-location connections increased by 4% year-over-year, to 88 million.

 Both fixed and mobile services are shifting to higher speeds. The share of fixed connections with
download speeds at or above 3 Mbps and upload speeds at or above 768 kbps increased from 53% to 58% of total fixed connections. Among mobile wireless subscriptions, the share increased from 11% to 22%.

 Despite the strong growth of total mobile connections, fixed connections continued to dominate
among those connections with higher download and upload speeds. Figure 1 illustrates the trend in connections speeds from December 2009 through December 2011, and Figure 2 presents a side-by-side comparison of fixed and mobile connection speeds in December 2011.

1 See the Technical Notes and the Glossary that appear at the end of this report for more-detailed information about the Form 477 data collection and the meaning of terms used in this report.
Readers should note two key aspects of the Form 477 data. First, if service connections of different speeds are available to a particular consumer for purchase – from one or more suppliers – then only the purchased connection is counted by Form 477. Second, the reported connection speed is typically the advertised speed of the purchased service, and it is possible that the purchased service will not operate at its advertised speed at all times. The Commission has sponsored tests of actual consumer broadband speeds. See, e.g., Federal Communications Commission, Office of Engineering and Technology and Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, 2012 Measuring Broadband America: A Report on Consumer Wireline Broadband Performance in the U.S. (July 2012), available https://www.fcc.gov/measuring-broadband-america">at www.fcc.gov/measuring-broadband-america.
2 The Form 477 program began collecting state-level data in 2000. Census tract-level data were first collected in December 2008. For an overview of program history, see High-Speed Services for Internet Access: Status as of December 31, 2008 (February 2010) (December 2008 High-Speed Report) at pp. 1-4, available at https://transition.fcc.gov/wcb/iatd/comp.html">www.fcc.gov/wcb/iatd/comp.html. Readers who are interested in historical trends in the Form 477 data should note the changes in reporting requirements that were effective in 2008 and earlier, in 2005.

* Some previously published data have been revised. Figures may not sum to totals elsewhere in this report due to rounding. Connections include both residential and business connections. In December 2011, total connections were reported as 35% residential fixed connections, 3% business fixed connections, 46% mobile connections to non-business subscribers, and 16% mobile connections to business subscribers.

Connection speeds in detail. The Form 477 program categorizes reportable connections into 72 speed tiers defined by eight ranges of downstream and nine ranges of upstream speed. In this overview discussion, we organize the extensive information collected for December 2011 into three groups of downstream speeds and three groups of upstream speeds. We do this separately for fixed-location connections and for mobile connections. For the breakpoints between the speed groups, we use the Form 477-defined breakpoints that the Commission has discussed as potential proxies for the broadband

U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Internet Access Services: Status as of December 31, 2011 3availability benchmark.3 These breakpoints are 3 Mbps and 6 Mbps for downstream speeds and 768 kbps and 1.5 Mbps for upstream speeds.4,5

Fixed connections – downstream speeds.

Figure 3(a) illustrates how the 88 million fixed
connections reported for December 2011 were distributed across the three ranges of downstream speeddefined by breakpoints at 3 Mbps and at 6 Mbps.

3 The Commission benchmarked broadband as a transmission service that enables an end user actually to download Internet content at 4 megabits per second (Mbps) and to upload Internet content at 1 Mbps over the service provider’s network. See Inquiry Concerning the Deployment of Advanced Telecommunications Capability to All Americans in a Reasonable and Timely Fashion, and Possible Steps to Accelerate Such Deployment Pursuant to Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Amended by the Broadband Data Improvement Act, GN Docket Nos. 09-137, 09-51, Report, 25 FCC Rcd 95560, 9563, para. 11 (2010) (Sixth Broadband Deployment Report).
4 See Sixth Broadband Deployment Report, 25 FCC Rcd at 9568, para. 20. As explained there, the Commission decided to evaluate the evidence of broadband availability using 3 Mbps downstream and 768 kbps upstream to proxy the speed benchmark of 4 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream. Subsequent reports have used this proxy; see, e.g., Eighth Broadband Progress Report, 27 FCC Rcd 10342, 10364, para. 29 (2012).
5 Our narrative discussion of the speeds of fixed connections is summarized more concisely in Chart 2, at p. 19, and our narrative discussion of the speeds of mobile connections is summarized more concisely in Chart 5, at p. 22.

U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Internet Access Services: Status as of December 31, 2011 4 In December 2011, 27% of reportable fixed connections (or 23.9 million connections) were
slower than 3 Mbps in the downstream direction, 16% (or 14.0 million connections) were at least 3 Mbps in the downstream direction but slower than 6 Mbps, and 57% (or 50.4 million connections) were at least 6 Mbps in the downstream direction.6

 For speeds in the downstream direction, almost three-quarters (73%) of fixed connections met the
broadband availability proxy of 3 Mbps or higher that was used in the Eighth Broadband Progress Report.

Fixed connections – upstream speeds.

Figure 3(b) illustrates how the 88 million fixed
connections reported for December 2011 were distributed across the three ranges of upstream speeddefined by breakpoints at 768 kbps and at 1.5 Mbps.

U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Internet Access Services: Status as of December 31, 2011 5 In December 2011, 37% of reportable fixed connections (or 32.9 million connections) were
slower than 768 kbps in the upstream direction, 23% (or 20.2 million connections) were at least 768 kbps in the upstream direction but slower than 1.5 Mbps, and 40% (or 35.2 million connections) were at least 1.5 Mbps in the upstream direction.7

 For speeds in the upstream direction, 63% of fixed connections met the broadband availability
proxy of 768 kbps or higher that was used in the Eighth Broadband Progress Report.

Fixed connections – summary.

Considering both downstream and upstream speeds, 58% of the 88 million fixed connections reported for December 2011 (or 51 million connections) met the broadband availability proxy of 3 Mbps or higher downstream and 768 kbps or higher upstream that was used in the Eighth Broadband Progress Report.8

Mobile connections – downstream speeds.

Figure 4(a) illustrates how the 142 million mobile connections reported for December 2011 were distributed across the three ranges of downstream speeddefined by breakpoints at 3 Mbps and at 6 Mbps.

 In December 2011, 78% of reportable mobile connections (or 111.0 million connections) were
slower than 3 Mbps in the downstream direction, 6% (or 7.8 million connections) were at least 3 Mbps in the downstream direction but slower than 6 Mbps, and 16% (or 23.3 million connections) were at least 6 Mbps in the downstream direction.9

 For speeds in the downstream direction, 22% of mobile connections met the downstream speed of
3 Mbps or higher that was used in the Eighth Broadband Progress Report.

Mobile connections – upstream speeds. Figure 4(b) illustrates how the 142 million mobile connections reported for December 2011 were distributed across the three ranges of upstream speeddefined by breakpoints at 768 kbps and at 1.5 Mbps.

U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Internet Access Services: Status as of December 31, 2011 7• In December 2011, about 57% of reportable mobile connections (or 81.7 million connections)
were slower than 768 kbps in the upstream direction, 32% (or 45.6 million connections) were at least 768 kbps in the upstream direction but slower than 1.5 Mbps, and 10% (or 14.8 million connections) were at least 1.5 Mbps in the upstream direction.10

• For speeds in the upstream direction, about 43% of mobile connections met the upstream speed of
768 kbps or higher that was used in the Eighth Broadband Progress Report.

Mobile connections – summary. Considering both downstream and upstream speeds, 22% of the 142 million fixed connections reported for December 2011 (or 31 million connections) met the downstream speed of 3 Mbps or higher and the upstream speed of 768 kbps or higher that were used in the Eighth Broadband Progress Report.11Providers by census tract by connection speed. In earlier reports in which we summarized Form 477 data through June 2008, we included summary statistics for the percentage of 5-digit geographical ZIP Codes in which differing numbers of providers (zero providers, one provider, two providers, etc.) had customers for their reportable connections.12 The ZIP Code-based data did not include information about the speeds of the connections that were purchased in particular ZIP Codes. However, the census tract-level information collected on Form 477 since December 2008 does include the speeds of purchased fixed-location connections.13 In Figure 5(a), we use that information to estimate the percentages of households located in census tracts where zero, one, two, or three or more providers reported residential fixed-location connections of several different speeds in December 2011. In doing so, however, we emphasize that a provider who reports residential fixed-location connections of a particular speed in a particular census tract may not necessarily offer service at that speed everywhere in the census tract. Accordingly, the number of providers shown in Figure 5(a) does not necessarily reflect the number of choices available to a particular household.

10 Ibid.
11 Compare Tables 1 and 2, at p. 17.

12 For the most recent such report, see High-Speed Services for Internet Access: Status as of June 30, 2008 (July 2009) (June 2008 High-Speed Report) at pp. 1-4, available atwww.fcc.gov/wcb/iatd/comp.html.
13 Mobile wireless providers report the number of service subscriptions they have sold, and the speeds of those service subscriptions, at the state level only. For individual census tracts, they report the speeds of mobile wireless service subscriptions that they offer for sale – that is, the capability of the network that they operate in the census tract.

U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Internet Access Services: Status as of December 31, 2011 9In Figure 5(b), we estimate the percentages of households in census tracts where providers reported purchased residential fixed-location connections of different speeds or reported operating a mobile wireless network capable of sending or receiving data at the indicated speeds. Again, we emphasize that such providers may not necessarily offer services at those speeds everywhere in the census tract.

Figure 5(b)

Percentages of Households Located in Census Tracts Where Providers Report

Residential Fixed-Location Connections of Various Speeds or Operate a Mobile Wireless Network

Capable of Delivering Service of Various Speeds as of December 31, 2011

The Commission has systematically collected, compiled, and published data about the adoption of fixed-location Internet access connections faster than 200 kbps in at least one direction for more than a decade. Figure 6 illustrates the adoption of fixed-location Internet access connections (that is, all reportable connections except mobile wireless connections) since 1999.14

• Between December 2001 and December 2011, total (business and residential) reportable fixed-
location connections grew from 12 million connections to 88 million connections – at a compound annual growth rate of 22% per year.

• Over the same ten-year period, residential fixed-location connections grew from 11 million
connections to 81 million connections – also at a compound annual growth rate of 22% per year.

U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Internet Access Services: Status as of December 31, 2011 11• As we reported previously, between June 2001 and June 2011, household adoption – which we
track in Figure 6 by comparing the number of residential fixed-location connections to the number of households – increased from 7 connections per 100 households to 65 connections per 100 households.15,16Other report highlights. Residential subscribership
• Residential fixed-location Internet access connections over 200 kbps in at least one direction
increased by 5% between December 2010 and December 2011, to 81 million. See Table 3. • Reported residential mobile wireless service subscribers with mobile devices and data plans for
full Internet access increased by 46%, to 106 million, between December 2010 and December 2011. See Table 3. • The reported data show 30% annual increases in the number of residential fixed-location
connections that are at least 6 Mbps downstream and 1.5 Mbps upstream (from 24.6 million to 32.3 million) and in the number of connections that are at least 10 Mbps downstream and 1.5 Mbps upstream (from 24.2 million to 31.6 million). See Chart 12. Household adoption of faster speeds
• As a national average in December 2011, there were 40 residential fixed-location connections per
100 households for connections with speeds that were reported to be at least 3 Mbps downstream and 768 kbps upstream.17 See Table 13.

15 See Internet Access Services: Status as of June 30, 2011 (June 2012) at p. 10. We calculated residential fixed connections per 100 households using, in the denominator, U.S. household estimates from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) for July of each year, Census 2010 households for Puerto Rico, and Census 2000 households for the remaining inhabited insular areas. (The CPS also estimates U.S. households for March and November of each year.) Ratios calculated for different dates or by using alternative household estimates will differ somewhat from the ratios reported in Figure 6.
16 We also show total (including business as well as residential) fixed-location connections per 100 population in Figure 6, which we calculated using U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for the United States and Puerto Rico – which are as of July 1 each year – and Census 2000 population for the remaining inhabited insular areas. This statistic, which is routinely reported by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), incorporates connections to business locations into a comparison to persons. A more accurately measured indicator of this type would include only connections to residential locations, but OECD does not have comprehensive, consistent information about residential connections in the member countries. (We note that the ratio of accurately measured residential fixed-location connections to population has a maximum value for any given country and point in time – the value when every household is connected – if we assume that no household would have more than one fixed connection to its premises. For the United States in June 2011, for example, the maximum value would be 38 because there were about 120.8 million households in the United States and inhabited insular areas and a population of about 315.7 million.)
17 Increases over time in the ratio of residential fixed-location connections to households indicate that increasing shares of households are connected at home. The ratio is somewhat different from the “take rate” of offered service because, as discussed in connection with Figure 5(a), some households are located in areas where apparently no fixed-location service is offered (as none is purchased).

Census tract and county shares of households with reportable connections

• We estimate the share of households with fixed-location Internet access connections over 200
kbps in at least one direction in individual census tracts and counties as of December 31, 2011. Our estimates continue to indicate that there are substantial areas of relatively low and relatively high household adoption around the national average. See Charts 15 and 16.

• For both census tracts and counties, we continue to find estimates above 100% for the share of
households with reportable fixed-location Internet access connections. These results suggest that some filers are not accurately assigning customer connections to census tracts, and anecdotal evidence supports that conclusion.18

Household adoption rates and subscribership demographics

• The report includes charts that illustrate correlations between household subscribership, or adoption, rates and demographic measures. We update charts based on income, household density, education, age, and race. The data indicate that some demographic variables are correlated with the adoption of Internet access service. See Charts 17-29.

Maps of providers by census tract

• Maps depict the number of providers of reportable connections by census tract. These maps are
similar to previously published maps of providers by ZIP Code, but differ in important respects. In particular, instead of a single map combining providers of connections over all technologies and to both residential and business end users, now separate maps depict: (1) providers of total (combined residential and business) reportable fixed-location connections, (2) providers of residential reportable fixed-location connections, (3) providers of residential fixed-location connections at least 3 Mbps downstream and 768 kbps upstream, and (4) providers making reportable mobile wireless service available.19

Remainder of the report.

The remainder of the report consists of tables, charts, and maps that highlight different aspects of Internet access service subscriptions. This information is organized into four sections, as described below. As always, publicly accessible data that are too voluminous to include in this report are available online atwww.fcc.gov/wcb/iatd/comp.html.

• Detailed Summary Statistics: The Nation. Tables 1-12 and Charts 1-14 focus in order on:
number of connections, speed of connections, technology of connections, and number of providers.

• Detailed Summary Statistics: The States. Tables 13-22 present comparable information for the
individual states and our estimates of the shares of households that are connected at different speeds.

18 For example, while contacting Form 477 filers with questions about reported data, FCC staff continue to find situations in which all connections reported for a county have been assigned to a single, anomalous census tract.
19 As discussed in the Technical Notes, a mobile wireless provider should only report service availability in census tracts where the provider operates a network capable of sending or receiving data at speeds above 200 kbps.

U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Internet Access Services: Status as of December 31, 2011 13• Detailed Summary Statistics: Counties and Census Tracts. Charts 15-16 and Tables 23-27
present information about differences among counties and census tracts. This section concludes with two maps that illustrate differences among census tracts in the estimated share of connected households and the four maps (discussed above) that illustrate providers by census tract.

We invite users of this information to suggest improvements in the data analysis by using the attached customer response form or sending comments toIATDreports@fcc.gov for subject: December 2011 Internet services data, and to participate in proceedings the Commission undertakes to improve the data collection.

Chart 1
Distribution of Connections over 200 kbps in at Least One Direction as of

December 31, 2011 ............................................................................................................ 18
Chart 2
Distribution of Fixed Connections over 200 kbps in at Least One Direction

as of December 31, 2011 ................................................................................................... 19
Chart 3
Distribution of Residential Connections over 200 kbps in at Least One Direction

as of December 31, 2011 ................................................................................................... 20
Chart 4
Distribution of Residential Fixed Connections over 200 kbps in at Least One

Direction as of December 31, 2011 ................................................................................... 21
Chart 5
Distribution of Mobile Wireless Connections over 200 kbps in at Least One

Direction as of December 31, 2011 ................................................................................... 22 Technology of connections

Table 5
Connections over 200 kbps in at Least One Direction by Technology 2007-2011 ........... 23
Chart 6
Connections by Technology as of December 31, 2011 ..................................................... 23

Table 6
Residential Connections over 200 kbps in at Least One Direction by Technology

by Technology as of December 31, 2011 .......................................................................... 26
Chart 10
Residential Fixed Connections over 200 kbps in at Least One Direction 2006-2011

1 Reporting instructions for mobile wireless changed between the June 2008 and December 2008 data. See Technical Notes at the end of the report. Note: Some historical data have been revised. Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. Source: FCC Form 477, Parts I and VI.

* = Data withheld to maintain firm confidentiality. Note: This table summarizes responses to Form 477 questions about service availability, as opposed to subscribership. xDSL includes both asymmetric and symmetric DSL. Each state-specific estimate is a weighted average of the availability percentages that ILECs or cable system operators report for the areas they serve. Reported xDSL availability is weighted by ILEC end-user switched access lines and VoIP lines. Reported cable modem availability is weighted by cable TV subscribers. The weighted averages include ILECs or cable system operators that report no availability. Figures are presented to the nearest percent. Source: FCC Form 477, Parts I and II; Warren Communications News, Inc., Television & Cable Factbook: Online (Cable General Information, February 2010).

as of December 31, 2011 ................................................................................................... 51
Table 23
Distribution of Counties by Ratio of Residential Fixed Connections

over 200 kbps in at Least One Direction to County Households by Technology

as of December 31, 2011 ................................................................................................... 52

Note: Ratios ov er 1 were set to 1. See Technical Notes at the end of the report.Sources: FCC Form 477, Part VI; Geoly tics 2011 Block-Lev el Estimates; and Census 2010. 2010 housing units proxy households in island area counties.

Note: Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. See Technical Notes at the end of the report. Sources: FCC Form 477, Part VI; Geolytics 2011 Block-Level Estimates; and Census 2010. 2010 housing units proxy households in island area counties.

Note: Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. See Technical Notes at the end of the report. Sources: FCC Form 477, Part VI (Connections); Geolytics 2011 Block-Level Estimates (Households for U.S. and District of Columbia); Census 2010 (Housing units for Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands).

Note: Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. See Technical Notes at the end of the report. Sources: FCC Form 477, Part VI (Connections); Geolytics 2011 Block-Level Estimates (Households for U.S. and District of Columbia); Census 2000 (Households for Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands).

ZeroZero < x <= 200200 < x <= 400400 < x <= 600600 < x <= 800800 < x
A l a s k a
This map shows the number of residential connections per 1,000 households
by census tract. Connections have information transfer rates greater than 200 kbps
upstream and at least 768 kbps downstream. Al technologies except terrestrial
mobile wireless are included.
Connections are from FCC Form 477 Part VI. The census tract boundaries are from TIGER.
Household counts for tracts in the U.S. are 2011 estimates from Geolytics. Household
counts for the territories are from Census 2000. For more information about census
tracts please see Census 2010 Summary File 1 Technical Documentation, page A-12.
P u e r t o R i c o
H a w a i i
U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Internet Access Services: Status as of December 31, 2011 61

Map 3

Providers of Fixed Connections over 200 kbps in at Least One Direction

by Census Tract as of December 31, 2011

Symbology

Provider Count (exc. Mobile Wireless)

Zero1 to 34 to 67 or more
A l a s k a
This map shows the number of providers of fixed connections
by census tract. Connections have information transfer rates
greater than 200 kbps in at least one direction and include al
technologies except terrestrial mobile wireless.
Provider data are from FCC Form 477 Part VI. The census tract
boundaries are from TIGER. For more information about census
tracts please see Census 2010 Summary File 1 Technical
Documentation, page A-12.
P u e r t o R i c o
H a w a i i
U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Internet Access Services: Status as of December 31, 2011 62

Map 4

Providers of Residential Fixed Connections over 200 kbps in at Least One Direction

by Census Tract as of December 31, 2011

Symbology

Provider Count (exc. Mobile Wireless)

Zero1 to 34 to 67 or more
A l a s k a
This map shows the number of providers of fixed connections by
census tract. A provider is counted only if it reported residential
connections in the tract. Connections have information transfer
rates greater than 200 kbps in at least one direction and include
al technologies except terrestrial mobile wireless.
Provider data are from FCC Form 477 Part VI. The census tract
boundaries are from TIGER. For more information about census
tracts please see Census 2010 Summary File 1 Technical
Documentation, page A-12.
P u e r t o R i c o
H a w a i i
U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Internet Access Services: Status as of December 31, 2011 63

Zero1 to 34 to 67 or more
A l a s k a
This map shows the number of providers of fixed connections by census tract.
A provider is counted only if it reported residential connections in the tract.
Connections have information transfer rates of at least 3 Mbps downstream
and at least 768 kbps upstream and include al technologies except terrestrial mobile
wireless.
Provider data are from FCC Form 477 Part VI. The census tract boundaries
are from TIGER. For more information about census tracts please see Census
2010 Summary File 1 Technical Documentation, page A-12.
P u e r t o R i c o
H a w a i i
U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Internet Access Services: Status as of December 31, 2011 64

Map 6

Providers of Mobile Connections over 200 kbps in at Least One Direction

by Census Tract as of December 31, 2011

Symbology

Providers (Mobile Wireless)

Zero1 to 34 to 67 or more
A l a s k a
This map shows the number of potential providers of mobile connections
with information transfer rates greater than 200 kbps in at least one direction by
census tract. Providers are counted if they indicate that service is available in
a tract over a network the provider operates.
Provider data are from FCC Form 477 Part VI. The census tract boundaries are
from TIGER. For more information about census tracts please see Census 2010
Summary File 1 Technical Documentation, page A-12.
P u e r t o R i c o
H a w a i i
U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Internet Access Services: Status as of December 31, 2011 65

Detailed Correlation Results: Demographic Measures

Contents of this section

Household income

Chart 17
Ratio of Residential Fixed Connections over 200 kbps in at Least One Direction

to Households by Income Deciles as of December 31, 2011 (County Data) .................... 67
Chart 18
Subscribership Ratio Distributions by Income Deciles as of December 31, 2011 ............ 68

Household density

Chart 19
Ratio of Residential Fixed Connections over 200 kbps in at Least One Direction

to Households by Density Deciles as of December 31, 2011 (County Data) .................... 69
Chart 20
Subscribership Ratio Distributions by Density Deciles as of December 31, 2011 ........... 70

Education

Chart 21
Ratio of Residential Fixed Connections over 200 kbps in at Least One Direction

to Households by Share of College Graduates in Deciles as of December 31, 2011

(County Data) .................................................................................................................... 71
Chart 22
Subscribership Ratio Distributions by Share of Population with a College Degree

(in Deciles) as of December 31, 2011 ............................................................................... 72

Age

Chart 23
Ratio of Residential Fixed Connections over 200 kbps in at Least One Direction

to Households by Average Age in Deciles as of December 31, 2011 (County Data) ....... 73
Chart 24
Subscribership Ratio Distributions by Average Age of County Population

(in Deciles) as of December 31, 2011 .............................................................................. 74

Race

Chart 25
Ratio of Residential Fixed Connections over 200 kbps in at Least One Direction

Lower Income Counties Ranked by Median Household Income, in Deciles Higher Income

Cumulative
Not Cumulative
This chart shows cumulativ e and non-cumulativ e subscribership ratios by income deciles. Counties were grouped into income deciles based on county median household income in 2009, as reported by theCensus Bureau. For each decile, the height of any red, non-cumulativ e bar represents the ratio of the sum of residential f ixed connections ov er 200 kbps in at least one direction across counties in thedecile to the sum of households across counties in the decile. The height of the blue, cumulativ e bar f or decile N represents the ratio of the sum of residential f ixed connections ov er 200 kbps in at leastone direction across all counties in decile N and all deciles less than N to the number of households in all the counties in decile N and deciles less than N.Sources: FCC Form 477, Part VI; Geoly tics 2011 Block-Lev el Estimates (Households in 2011); and 2007-2011 ACS 5-y ear Estimates (Median household income).

Note: Each box plot shows the distribution of residential subscribership to connections ov er 200 kbps in at least one direction f or counties in the income decile. Some of the f eatures are labeled,but note also that + denotes the position of the av erageresidential subscribership ratio taken across all counties in the decile;
is the minimum observ ation abov e Q1-1.5(Q3-Q1); T is the maximum
observ ation below Q3+1.5(Q3-Q1); and is any data point bey ond Q1-1.5(Q3-Q1) or Q3+1.5(Q3-Q1). Ratios greater than 1 were set to 1.Sources: FCC Form 477, Part VI; Geoly tics 2011 Block-Lev el Estimates (Households in 2011); and 2007-2011 ACS 5-y ear Estimates (Median household income).

Cumulative
Not Cumulative
This chart shows cumulativ e and non-cumulativ e subscribership ratios by density deciles. Counties were grouped into density deciles based on households per square mile, calculated as the ratio ofestimated county households in 2010 to county land area f rom the Census Bureau. For each decile, the height of any red, non-cumulativ e bar represents the ratio of the sum of residential f ixed connectionsov er 200 kbps in at least one direction across counties in the decile to the sum of households across counties in the decile. The height of the blue, cumulativ e bar f or decile N represents the ratio ofthe sum of residential f ixed connections ov er 200 kbps in at least one direction across all counties in decile N and all deciles less than N to the number of households in all the counties in decile Nand deciles less than N.Sources: FCC Form 477, Part VI; Geoly tics 2011 Block-Lev el Estimates (Households in 2011); and Census 2010 (County land area).

Note: Each box plot shows the distribution of residential subscribership to connections ov er 200 kbps in at least one direction f or counties in the density decile. Some of the f eatures are labeled,but note also that + denotes the position of the av erage residential subscribership ratio taken across all counties in the decile;
is the minimum observ ation abov e Q1-1.5(Q3-Q1); T is the maximum
observ ation below Q3+1.5(Q3-Q1); and is any data point bey ond Q1-1.5(Q3-Q1) or Q3+1.5(Q3-Q1). Ratios greater than 1 were set to 1.Sources: FCC Form 477, Part VI; Geoly tics 2011 Block-Lev el Estimates (Households in 2011); and Census 2010 (County land area).

Lower Share Counties Ranked by Share of College Graduates, in Deciles Higher Share

Cumulative
Not Cumulative
This chart shows cumulativ e and non-cumulativ e subscribership ratios by county share of college graduates in deciles. Counties were grouped into deciles based on the share of the county population atleast 25 y ears of age with a college degree or higher educational attainment. For each decile, the height of any red, non-cumulativ e bar represents the ratio of the sum of residential f ixed connections ov er200 kbps in at least one direction across counties in the decile to the sum of households across counties in the decile. The height of the blue, cumulativ e bar f or decile N represents the ratio of the sum ofresidential f ixed connections ov er 200 kbps in at least one direction across all counties in decile N and all deciles less than N, to the number of households in all the counties in decile N and decilesless than N.Sources: FCC Form 477, Part VI; Geoly tics 2011 Block-Lev el Estimates (Households in 2011); and 2007-2011 ACS 5-y ear Estimates (County educational attainment).

Note: Each box plot shows the distribution of residential subscribership to connections ov er 200 kbps in at least one direction f or counties in the share decile. Some of the f eatures are labeled,but note also that + denotes the position of the av erage residential subscribership ratio taken across all counties in the decile;
is the minimum observ ation abov e Q1-1.5(Q3-Q1); T is the maximum
observ ation below Q3+1.5(Q3-Q1); and is a data point bey ond Q1-1.5(Q3-Q1) or Q3+1.5(Q3-Q1). Ratios greater than 1 were set to 1.Sources: FCC Form 477, Part VI; Geoly tics 2011 Block-Lev el Estimates (Households in 2011); and 2007-2011 ACS 5-y ear Estimates (County educational attainment).

Lower Average Age Counties Ranked by Average Age, in Deciles Higher Average Age

Cumulative
Not Cumulative
This chart shows cumulativ e and non-cumulativ e subscribership ratios by county av erage age in deciles. Counties were grouped into deciles based on the av erage age of the county population. For eachdecile, the height of any red, non-cumulativ e bar represents the ratio of the sum of residential f ixed connections ov er 200 kbps in at least one direction across counties in the decile to the sum ofhouseholds across counties in the decile. The height of the blue, cumulativ e bar f or decile N represents the ratio of the sum of residential f ixed connections ov er 200 kbps in at least one directionacross all counties in decile N and all deciles less than N, to the number of households in all the counties in decile N and deciles less than N.Sources: FCC Form 477, Part VI; Geoly tics 2011 Block-Lev el Estimates (Households in 2011); and 2007-2011 ACS 5-y ear Estimates (County av erage age).

Note: Each box plot shows the distribution of residential subscribership to connections ov er 200 kbps in at least one direction f or counties in the av erage age decile. Some of the f eatures are labeled,but note also that + denotes the position of the av erage residential subscribership ratio taken across all counties in the decile;
is the minimum observ ation abov e Q1-1.5(Q3-Q1); T is the maximum
observ ation below Q3+1.5(Q3-Q1); and is a data point bey ond Q1-1.5(Q3-Q1) or Q3+1.5(Q3-Q1). Ratios greater than 1 were set to 1.Sources: FCC Form 477, Part VI; Geoly tics 2011 Block-Lev el Estimates (Households in 2011); and 2007-2011 ACS 5-y ear Estimates (County av erage age).

Cumulative
Not Cumulative
This chart shows cumulativ e and non-cumulativ e subscribership ratios by the share of county population white alone in deciles. Counties were grouped into deciles based on the share of the countypopulation that reported their race as white alone. For each decile,the height of any red, non-cumulativ e bar represents the ratio of the sum of residential f ixed connections ov er 200 kbps in at leastone direction across counties in the decile to the sum of households across counties in the decile. The height of the blue, cumulativ e bar f or decile N represents the ratio of the sum of residential f ixedconnections ov er 200 kbps in at least one direction across all counties in decile N and all deciles less than N, to the number of households in all the counties in decile N and deciles less than N.Sources: FCC Form 477, Part VI; Geoly tics 2011 Block-Lev el Estimates (Households in 2011); and 2007-2011 ACS 5-y ear Estimates (Race).

Note: Each box plot shows the distribution of residential subscribership to connections ov er 200 kbps in at least one direction f or counties in each race decile. Counties were grouped intodeciles based on the share of the county population that reported their race as white alone. Some of the f eatures are labeled, but note also that + denotes the position of the av erageresidential subscribership ratio taken across all counties in the decile; is the minimum observ ation abov e Q1-1.5(Q3-Q1); T is the maximum observ ation below Q3+1.5(Q3-Q1); and is a data point bey ond Q1-1.5(Q3-Q1) or Q3+1.5(Q3-Q1). Ratios greater than 1 were set to 1.Sources: FCC Form 477, Part VI; Geoly tics 2011 Block-Lev el Estimates (Households in 2011); and 2007-2011 ACS 5-y ear Estimates (Race).

Wherever a number of providers is cited in this report, multiple Form 477 filers within a holding company structure count as one provider.

Form 477 collects information about Internet access connections in service to end-user locations that are advertised to deliver information to and/or from the end user – that is, in at least one direction – at transfer rates (“speeds”) above 200 kilobits per second (kbps). Information is collected about connections in 72 speed tiers (nine upstream tiers and eight downstream) defined by ranges of upstream speeds and downstream speeds. Connections are further categorized by the technology employed by the part of the connection that terminates at the end-user location.

“End users” are residential, business, institutional, or government entities who use services for their own purposes and who do not resell such services to other entities. Facilities-based providers report information about connections they provide directly to their own end-user customers and also connections that they provide to Internet Service Providers for resale to end users. For Form 477 purposes, the facilities-based provider of a connection is the entity that owns the portion of the physical facility that terminates at the end-user location, obtains an unbundled network element (UNE), special access line, or other leased facility that terminates at the end-user location and provisions/equips it as a connection that transfers information at rates over 200 kbps in at least one direction, or provisions/equips a wireless channel that transfers information at rates over 200 kbps in at least one direction to the end-user location over licensed spectrum or over spectrum that the provider uses on an unlicensed basis.

The mutually exclusive Form 477 technology categories are: asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (“aDSL” in this report), symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (“sDSL”), other wireline, cable modem, optical fiber to the end-user premises (“FTTP”), satellite, fixed wireless (using licensed or unlicensed spectrum), mobile wireless (using licensed or unlicensed spectrum), electric power line, and all other (which is included to capture deployment of additional technologies over time). In the Form 477 data collection, aDSL-based services delivered over fiber-to-the-node architecture are reported in the aDSL category. The other wireline category comprises T1/DS1, T3/DS3, and other copper-based connections, not elsewhere categorized, that deliver Internet access service at the end-user location. Ethernet connections delivering Internet access service are reported in the other wireline category if the connection terminates over copper and in the FTTP category if the connection terminates over fiber. Connections deployed over hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) architecture are reported in the cable modem category. Wireless ISPs (“WISPs”) report in the fixed wireless category if providing service to dispersed, fixed end-user locations and report in the mobile wireless category if providing a commercial service that can be received at any location within a service footprint. Wireless local area networks (such as Wi-Fi hotspots) that only enable local distribution and sharing of a premises connection are not included, although the shared premises connection is included.

Numbers of connections presented in this report are not adjusted for the number of persons at a single end-user location who have access to, or who use, the Internet access services delivered over the connection to that location.

U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Internet Access Services: Status as of December 31, 2011 80Numbers of residential connections are estimated based on the total connections and percentage-residential connections information reported on Form 477.

Census tracts

Starting with data as of December 31, 2008, facilities-based providers of reportable fixed-location Internet access connections must report connection counts and percentage residential information at the census tract level of detail. Because of the inherent mobility of their service, facilities-based mobile wireless providers do not report subscriber counts by census tract. Instead, they report the census tracts in the state that best represent the areas where service is available over the provider’s own network, for each of the speed tiers in which the provider offers service.

The census tract-level data summarized in this report were collected for tracts in the 2010 decennial census. For the purposes of this report, there are 73,767 census tracts because we exclude census tracts delineated specifically to cover large bodies of water.

About 110 of the census tracts have population but no households because the population resides in group living quarters. For the purpose of estimating residential subscribership rates by census tract, we assume these census tracts have no reportable residential Internet access service because persons residing in group quarters would have Internet access over a business connection provided to the operator of the group quarters. Therefore, these census tracts are included in the “zero” column.

Decline in reported mobile wireless connections between June 2008 and December 2008

Changed reporting instructions starting in December 2008 caused a one-time decrease in the reported number of mobile wireless Internet access service connections, from about 60 million in June 2008 to about 25 million in December 2008. For reporting periods through June 30, 2008, Form 477 had instructed mobile wireless providers to report the number of subscribers whose mobile device (such as a wireless modem laptop card, smartphone, or handset) was capable of sending or receiving data at speeds above 200 kbps. The Commission found these instructions insufficiently precise to enable it to determine, from the reported data, the number of subscribers making regular use of Internet access service above 200 kbps as part of their mobile service package. Starting with the December 31, 2008 data, therefore, Form 477 requires mobile wireless providers to report the number of subscribers that have a capable device (as discussed above) for which the subscription includes a data plan for transferring, on a monthly basis, either a specified or an unlimited amount of data to and from Internet sites of the subscriber’s choice, and excluding subscribers whose choice of content is restricted to only customized-for-mobile content (for example, text and multimedia messaging, or the capacity to download ringtones and games).

Starting with the December 31, 2008, data, providers also must report, explicitly and separately, total subscribers with a device capable of sending or receiving data at speeds above 200 kbps, irrespective of the service plan purchased. The number of such devices reported for December 2008 was about 86 million. That figure is not directly comparable to mobile wireless connections reported for June 2008 or earlier reporting periods, however, because individual providers – to a varying and largely unknown degree – included or excluded subscribers with service plans for less than full Internet access in the earlier data.

Finally, the Form 477 modifications adopted for the December 31, 2008, and later, data specify how mobile wireless providers should distinguish between residential subscribers and other subscribers, and
U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Internet Access Services: Status as of December 31, 2011 81some of these providers consequently reported a larger share of residential subscribers than they had reported for earlier dates.

Ratios of residential fixed-location connections to households that exceed 100%

Starting with data as of December 31, 2008, information about connections over fixed-location technologies must be reported for individual census tracts. This allows us to estimate the share of households with fixed-location connections in individual census tracts by taking the ratio of the reported number of fixed-location residential service connections to the estimated number of households. In the year-end 2009 data, we continue to find “outlier” estimates at or above 100% and to find that the number of outliers is substantially reduced when estimates are made for individual counties rather than for individual census tracts.

Possible explanations of ratios at or above 100% include (1) geocoding misallocations of service locations to census tracts; (2) proper allocation of connections to the county level by some filers, but improper allocation of all connections to a single tract in the county; (3) possible overestimation of residential connections in service plans for which the customer base is primarily residential; and (4) connections at seasonally or occasionally occupied housing units, such as vacation homes, while the household is counted elsewhere. The numbers of households in census tracts that were used to generate the estimated ratios are themselves estimates (for 2010, from GeoLytics, Inc.), which could have an independent effect.

Maps showing number of providers by census tract

Readers of previous reports in this series may note certain differences in the provider-count maps in this report as compared to maps for June 30, 2008 and earlier dates, which showed the number of providers by 5-digit geographical ZIP Code. The ZIP Code-based maps counted (at the holding company level) each provider with any fixed-location connections (wired, terrestrial fixed wireless, or satellite) reported for the ZIP Code and also any mobile wireless service provider who listed the ZIP Code as part of its service area. By contrast, in this report we provide separate maps for providers (counted at the holding company level) of fixed-location connections and for mobile wireless providers. Also, we present maps showing the number of providers that reported any residential fixed-location connections, thereby excluding any providers of exclusively business fixed-location connections in the census tract.

Maps showing residential subscribership rates by census tract

The two maps based on estimated Internet access connections over 200 kbps in at least one direction per 1,000 households (that is, estimated household subscribership, or adoption, rates) are not comparable to ZIP Code-based maps developed from FCC Form 477 data for June 30, 2008 and earlier dates because numbers of connections were never reported for individual ZIP Codes. Readers should note that these two maps (1) exclude all connections identified as business connections and (2) necessarily exclude residential mobile wireless connections (which are reported for the state but not for individual census tracts).
U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Internet Access Services: Status as of December 31, 2011 82

Glossary

Term Definition

aDSL
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line: A digital local loop typically using copper facilities and providing greater bandwidth in one direction than the other.
Cable modem service
A service which offers customers access to the Internet over a cable system.
Downstream speed
Speed of transmission from the Internet to the end user.
End users
Residential, business, institutional, or government entities who use services for their own purposes and who do not resell such services to other entities.
Facilities-based provider
Entity that owns the portion of the physical facility that terminates at the end-user location, obtains an unbundled network element (UNE), special access line, or other leased facility that terminates at the end-user location and provisions/equips it as a connection that transfers information at rates over 200 kbps in at least one direction, or provisions/equips a wireless channel that transfers information at rates over 200 kbps in at least one direction to the end-user location over licensed spectrum or over spectrum that the provider uses on an unlicensed basis.
Fixed wireless
A radio communication service between specified fixed points.
Fixed-location technologies
All technologies other than terrestrial mobile wireless.
FTTH or FTTP
Fiber to the Home (Premises): A network access architecture in which optical fiber is deployed all the way to the customer’s home (premises).
Internet access service
Service that provides end users access to the Internet.
ISPs
Internet Service Providers: Companies or organizations that provide Internet access service (see above).
iVoIP
Interconnected Voice Over Internet Protocol: A service that enables real-time, two-way voice communications; requires a broadband connection from the user’s location; requires Internet-protocol compatible customer premises equipment; and permits users generally to receive calls that originate on the public switched telephone network and to terminate calls to the public switched telephone network.
Mobile wireless service
A radio communication service between mobile and fixed stations, or between mobile stations.
Mobile wireless provider
Provider of mobile wireless service (see above).
Other wireline
All copper-wire based technologies other than DSL technologies; Ethernet over copper and T-1 are examples.
Power line
Internet access service delivered over electric power transmission lines.
Satellite communications
A telecommunications service provided via one or more satellite relays and their associated uplinks and downlinks.
sDSL
Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line: DSL technology that provides equal bandwidth for both uploads and downloads.

U.S. Federal Communications Commission
U.S. Federal Communications
Internet Access Services: Status as of December
Internet
31, 2011 83
Access Services: Status as of December Speed tiers
Sub-groupings defined by ranges of upstream speeds and downstream speeds.
Upstream speed
Speed of transmission from the end user to the Internet.
Wi-Fi hotspot
Wireless Fidelity: Generic term referring to any type of IEEE 802.11 wireless network. A hotspot is a small geographic area in which users can gain access to a Wi-Fi network which in turn connects to the Internet.
Wireless service
Telephone, Internet, data, and other services provided to customers through the transmission of signals over networks of radio towers.
Wireless service provider
Provider of wireless service (see above).
Wireless
Any means of electronic data transfer using electromagnetic means, most
telecommunications
commonly radio waves.
WISP
Wireless ISP: A company that provides end users with wireless access to the Internet, most commonly by using radio spectrum designated for unlicensed use.
WLAN
Wireless local area network: A WLAN uses radio waves to connect user devices to a local area network (LAN), thereby extending an existing wired LAN.

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